ع
The Ministry of Interior said security forces working with other government agencies arrested 14782 individuals during the campaign. The total broke down to 7438 residency law violators 3782 border security law violators and 3562 labour law violators. At the time of the announcement 31075 expatriates including 29171 men and 1904 women were undergoing related legal procedures according to ministry figures.
Ministry data showed that authorities also detained 1450 people attempting to enter the kingdom illegally during the same period. Of those 56 percent were Ethiopian nationals 43 percent were Yemeni and 1 percent were from other countries. The ministry separately reported the arrest of 25 individuals trying to leave Saudi Arabia without authorisation.
According to the ministry 23 people were arrested for transporting sheltering or assisting violators of the regulations. The interior ministry has warned that those found facilitating such activities face penalties including up to 15 years in prison fines as high as 1 million riyals and confiscation of vehicles or property used in the offences. Successive ministry statements have emphasised strict enforcement against all parties involved.
The ministry has announced similar deportation figures in preceding weeks with more than 12600 expatriates removed in late July and over 12000 in early July according to parallel reports. These recurring campaigns have seen authorities refer thousands of cases to diplomatic missions for travel documents while others complete departure preparations. Ministry figures from the prior operations placed the number of expatriates in legal processes at comparable levels each week.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has introduced revised penalty schedules for labour violations in recent months as part of wider regulatory updates. Updates have included steeper fines for employing workers without licences failing to provide mandated maternity leave or neglecting workplace safety requirements. A ministry assessment placed compliance improvements as a continuing priority across sectors reliant on expatriate labour.
Ministry statements have consistently highlighted the role of these inspections in maintaining order within the labour market. In earlier rounds authorities processed more than 20000 cases through embassy referrals alongside thousands completing travel arrangements before deportation. The interior ministry continues to issue weekly updates detailing the scale of enforcement actions nationwide.
